The Defenders Showrunner Teases Alexandra’s Connection to The Hand

While Sigourney Weaver’s Alexandra may still be a mystery, it seems the villain will indeed be a powerful member of The Hand in The Defenders. In just a few weeks, the final piece of the original Netflix/Marvel deal will arrive. In The Defenders, we will not only see Marvel’s four street-level superheroes join forces, but most of their allies and friends will be along for the ride. So far, the early reviews have painted the show as enjoyable but not always the sum of its parts. Despite some flaws, it still seems to be a fun team-up miniseries, even if future seasons of The Defenders are not a given.

One of the aspects of the series that fans are most excited for is Weaver’s big bad. While not a lot is known about the villain, we have a good idea of how Alexandra views the Defenders and what her own motivations are. It’s also becoming increasingly clear that she holds a position of power amongst the Hand. Between the prominence of the evil ninjas in shows like Daredevil and Iron Fist and a clip from The Defenders pairing Alexandra with Madame Gao, the only question remaining is what position does Weaver’s character hold in the organization.

EW spoke with Marco Ramirez, the co-showrunner for The Defenders, and asked outright if Alexandra was the true leader of the Hand. While he wouldn’t say for sure, his comments seem to indicate she’s at least fairly high up in the group’s hierarchy:

“In Daredevil and Iron Fist, the two shows with the most references to the Hand, [characters] always say ‘Oh, there are players beyond [those we’ve met] that are bigger than this,’ or ‘There are people that work beyond this who are pulling the strings. The truth is she’s like the thing in the shadows who’s finally walking out.”

Given Weaver’s prominence as a performer and The Defenders serving as a major crossover for the Marvel/Netflix shows, it’s hard to imagine that Alexandra isn’t the leader of The Hand in some respect. That said, there’s no guarantee that she’s a character from Marvel Comics, either. While it’s unknown if she’s from the page or an original creation, Ramirez did offer fans a hint:

“We chose [the name] ‘Alexandra’ because it sounded regal.”

While that could simply be a throwaway line, it could also hint at her true identity. Madame Gao, for instance, isn’t a character from the comics, but she shares a lot in common with Iron Fist villain The Crane Mother. For Alexandra, we can at least safely say the regal aspect of her doesn’t mean she will be Hand leader Kingpin. And with Daredevil and Elektra also already existing in the MCU, it’s hard to say which Hand leader from the comics Alexandra could be. Given that many of them are Japanese, that really only leaves someone like Typhoid Mary.

Though we’ve heard rumors Mary will be in season 2 of Jessica Jones – and Weaver doesn’t fit the traditional mold of the character – it’s certainly a possibility. Of course, there’s nothing regal about Typhoid Mary. As such, Alexandra may simply be a new character – or one that’s so altered from the comics that we won’t be able to guess her identity ahead of time.

Marvel’s The Defenders premieres on August 18th, followed by The Punisher season 1 later this fall. Premiere dates for the new seasons of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist have yet to be announced.